Category Archives: Oktoberfest

Right about the time I’m typing this post up, the Mayor of Munich is getting set to perform the traditional tapping of the first keg of beer as part of the start of Oktoberfest 2018! (Yes, the real “Oktoberfest” actually runs mostly in September.)

Photo Credit: Andreas Steinhoff, via Wikimedia Commons

Well heck, this accordion blog has an Oktoberfest tradition too–the annual posting of one of my German/Bavarian/Oktoberfest-appropriate accordion arrangements! This year’s tune probably goes by a bunch of different names, but I usually see it referred to as “Tyrolean Waltz” or “Tiroler-Walzer” or something like that. If you’ve spent any length of time in a Bavarian-style beer hall, you’ve probably heard it before.

It’s a lead sheet, so you’ll have to make up your own left-hand accompaniment based on the given chords (the standard oom-pah-pah waltz pattern works just fine). I apologize for how confusing the form might be with all the repeats and coda stuff, but I wanted to keep the chart to just one page. I’ve heard versions where the sections are in different orders–not too uncommon with traditional folk music–so feel free to play the form differently if you prefer.

If you’re heading there, or to any of the many local Oktoberfest celebrations in other cities throughout the world (such as here in Nashville), you might want to grab yourself a pair of limited-edition Oktoberfest sneakers that German sportswear company Adidas has recently introduced to honor the occasion.

In addition to the lederhosen-inspired coloring and the word “Prost!” (“Cheers!”) stitched onto the side, the shoes also feature a special “DBPR” coating, which Adidas claims stands for–and I am not making this up–”Durable Beer and Puke Repellent“.

Those Germans are nothing if not practical…

Of course, the other thing any respectable accordion player needs when heading to Oktoberfest is a solid repertoire of music to play. So here’s some accordion sheet music for “Drink, Drink, Brüderlein Drink!” (In English: “Drink, Drink, Little Brother Drink!”)

Once again, I have two versions, which you may choose from (or combine) to suit your playing ability. The basic version should be playable by anyone who has gotten through most of Palmer-Hughes Book 2. The other version has some tricky stuff more suited to graduates of Book 4 at least.

The 183rd Oktoberfest starts in Munich today, and, as in years past, I’m posting one of my arrangements for you to play on your accordion for the occasion. So I guess it’s officially a jeffjetton.com tradition!

This time, I picked an Oktoberfest song that I’ve seen referred to by several names:

Esel Lied

The Donkey Song (which is what Esel Lied means)

Hey Babariba

Iha Iha Iha Oh

Whatever you call it, it’s a fun, goofy song that’s easy for everyone to sing along to. Not to mention easy to memorize–it’s basically just a couple of riffs repeated over and over again. The only challenge is keeping your key signatures straight.

It’s also fairly easy to play, although you can make adjustments as you wish:

If you haven’t learned alternating bass yes, just play whatever 4/4 pattern you do know. Use the chord names written along the top as a guide.

If you haven’t learned 7th chords yet, just play the chords marked with a “7″ as regular major chords.

If you’re struggling with the harmony notes in the right note, just leave them out and play only the top note.

And while the party there runs until October 4th, here in the states the various Oktoberfest celebrations might not even get started until then–maybe even later. All of which means plenty of chances for we accordion players to bust out a few good beer-drinking songs.

Note that there are two versions in the PDF file: A basic one on the first page and a fancy one on the second. The basic one should be easily playable by anyone who has gotten through most of Palmer-Hughes Book Two. The fancy version is, well, fancier. You’ll need some experience playing two and three-note chords in the right hand as well as counterbasses in the left hand.

Those of us who learned accordion using the excellent Palmer-Hughes method books will no doubt recognize Du, du liegst mir im Herzen as the basis for volume 1′s Dreaming. P&H just modified the melody a bit to simplify the fingering.

I’m using the Marlene Dietrich version as inspiration for the somewhat unusual chord progression here. I think it makes the song a lot more harmonically interesting.

Also, I’m only going through the “Ja, ja, ja, ja…” part once per repeat. But you often hear it played twice in a row, so feel free to repeat those bars if you like. It is, after all, the one part that even those who don’t know German get to sing along with!